by Kristine Krynitzki

Ema is one of those babies whose big bright eyes can make even the toughest of characters heart melt. Standing no taller than ankle height, she peers up at you and immediately you want to take her into your arms and comfort her from the sadness she surely must feel from having lost her parents at such a tender age. Ema is yet another orphan who has come to CERCOPAN because, like most babies, her parents were likely killed due to the ever-present bushmeat trade.

Ema at my feet

My first encounter with Ema was a very sad one. It was late May and I was on my back to Calabar from visiting our bush site at Rhoko when my bike ran out of fuel. Taking a short break in a village while my driver went to fill up his tank, I decided to take a stroll. Shortly thereafter a man approached me carrying a small monkey with a piece of string tied around its waist, hanging by a stick. He was offering me this “pet” of his for five thousand naira. My immediate reaction was to explain to the man all of the many reasons why he should not keep monkeys as pets and why he should just give it to me. Unfortunately my efforts failed as he would not give it up without payment. I immediately notified Claire when I got back to the office and an action plan was put into place to rescue this poor soul.

In the following week our Education Officer from the bush, Mike Ekpe, visited the man many times. Although Mike is well versed in confiscating illegally kept monkeys, the man was still unwilling to give it up without being monetarily compensated. When CERCOPAN’s Deputy Director, Claire Coulson, was visiting the bush the following weekend she decided to also pay the man a visit. Luckily this time the man came to his senses and handed the baby monkey over to her, but made her promise to keep the monkey’s original name – Ema, after the man Emmanuel.

It was early June when Ema first arrived to her new home at CERCOPAN in Calabar and immediately everyone loved her. She is one of those special monkeys that just always looks stunning, from her shiny coat of fur, her big bright eyes, and the hop in her step. Although a little bit of a madam, as most female puttys are, she immediately took to her new surroundings. She was not frightened of all the new people she encountered, and quickly began exploring her new space.

Ema having lunch

Ema has been a real pleasure to take care of, which cannot always be said for all babies. Some are very frightened when they arrive, which makes it hard to take of care them, others are extremely clingy, never wanting to let go of you, making all other responsibilities very difficult to handle. I find Ema to be a very well balanced individual. She loves to cuddle and play and generally be in the company of others, but she is also okay with being on her own for afternoon naps.

Unfortunately due to being domesticated as a pet by her previous owner at such a young age, she wasn’t able to establish very good monkey skills that should have been natural, like jumping and clinging and climbing. When she first arrived she was only able to cling to my hair, which was rather uncomfortable as you can imagine, so I had to carry her around. She also found it very difficult to jump long distances and often fell onto the floor in failed attempts. Luckily after a few days of play where I would test her abilities with various activities, she quickly strengthened these skills and is now as agile as the rest of her kind.

After being TB tested, Ema was ready to go outside to be introduced to a new monkey friend. Though sad, as it always is when the babies leave the house, Ema moved into a nice new home in the quarantine area with another new monkey named Johnnyface. I am happy for Ema because she and Johnnyface have loved each other since the moment they met. Introductions to new friends are always a little unpredictable, but this was a match made in heaven. The following morning when I went out to check on her, she was fast asleep in Johnnyface’s arms. The rest of the day she could be found bouncing around on the swing, rustling through the palm leaves, or simply sitting on the platform hugging her new friend.

Ema and Johnny face

Luckily Ema and Johnnyface are both small babies who do not require too much space, but we will soon be faced with a putty predicament when she is to move again into the larger quarantine area. Ema is only one of three new babies to arrive in the last month, and with our already at-capacity quarantine area and enclosures, she has nowhere to move to. We are in the process of redesigning and expanding the important area where all of the newcomers are kept, but as the projects keep mounting our finances are having a tough time keeping up. We now have the land to build new enclosures and the designs are ready, but without the funds we cannot go ahead. If you want to help create a home for Ema and her friends, please donate today.

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